Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-04-16

/ Cuba is shaped like a crescent, with its
/ horns turned toward South America and with
/ the highest point of lis hack toward Florida.
! THIS crescent - more than 100 miles long
/ longer than the distance from New York to
/ Cleveland and il is a little over 100 miles wide
IN its brosdtst part. Taking the figures
furnished hv Librarian Spofford, it is larger
than New York. Massachusetts and Mary
land combined This crescent has line of
mountains running through its center from
nue end ro the other, and the land slopes from
these to the sea in undulating plains The
mountains are covered with forests Of fine
finishing woods, mahogany and ebony being
chief. OF the 20 go 600 acres of wild land in
Cuba more than half is made up of virgin
forest, and there are vast extents c' territory
here, which good government and enterprise
ml-bt make very profitable.
l!.- island has more fine iarbors than any
..,..'., 'iutry Of It's size, and it is no wonder
,fai ~. buccaneers of the Spanish main Sc
.7-i- the center Of their piratical enter
'..,-.- IL has 26O rivers and plenty of fresh
"Ilrr springs. IL has climate which is one
perpetual summer. IL never SHOWS III Cuba,
though the ice sometimes forms upon the
mountains. The babies can 20 naked here
the year around and as for the stocking trade
of Havana is customers are confined to the
higher CLASSES. Neither stockings nor suSpeu-
ders are used by the laborers and doubt
whether there are 900 pairs Of 9uspenders
worn by the !, 500, ,0OO people who make up
this islands population.
Speaking of susp-nders, the Cuban iastens
his unmeutionabes with belt strap aud the
majority Of the working men of the island
cunfin, their apparel TO undershirt and pauta-
looms. In the case Of the colored laborer. the
undershirt is dispensed with, and, all told, i
suppose there arr lesS clothes worn in Cuba 10
the population than IA any other country in
Christendom. The cnief aim Of the people is
TO keep cool. and the better class OF men dress
In white duck, with Panama hats. There are
no carpets on the floors nor plaster on the
ceilings. The lower class women wear few
underclotHeS, and a calico wrapper and a pair
oi heelless slippers are 4 wardrobe. Iron bars
take the place of glass windows, and there is
not n chimney nor "A cooking stove in Havana
Thers are no barns, and the horses are washed
IA the harh"rs instead of being curried. There
are no hricks used in the sidewalks, and the
average sidewalk is three feet wide and of
stone. The building stone used Is n porous
one, and this is covered with sturco. Havana
has parks. but there Is no grass in them. and as
for shade, for II you must go TO the mountains
The policemen here carry swords and guns, and
the Offices of all kinds are filled by the Span
iards. There no mattresses on the Cuban
iEdS, and IA for feather pillows, there are not
feathers enough used here 10 make a wad for
the earaCbe. There are few china pitchers
u,tpi IN Havana. and the drinking mug is Of
POROUS clay. with a hole at the top, out Of
which the water is poured into the mouth in
n trickliug stream. Red brick tiles take The
place Of shingles and the tops OF the HOUSES
are used In the evenings for sitting rooms.
The gardens vf Havana are inside the houses,
instead Of behind them.
The milkuuuu drives his COW from door to
door and milkS directly into the vessel Of his
customer The calf generally tags along be-
hind, and the cow now and then refuses to
give down her milk until the calf has had q
pull ut the teits. The only way Of watering
the milk Is watering til" COW; but a COW that
is kept On the dead run much of the time does
not always give good milk.
The Cuban eats nothing but oranges, bread
and butter and coffee for breakfast. He
Isres bis orange as We do apples. and you
find plates Of pared oranges before You on
the table when YOU sit down to the morning
meal Tie way to eat these oranges is t.
drive a fork iuto them, plant your teeth
firmly into the luscious fruit and suck the
juice. The Cuban breakfas: is taken on ris-
ing. and there is another breakfast about 0 or
10 O'Clock. This is more like the American
meal, and the whole city knocks off for il.
Passing along the street at this time you may
se families at their meals through the open
windows and doors, and an hour or two later
the whole town seems to be taking a siesta
Dinner is eaten between ; and O'Clock, and
the stores keep open until about Q O'Clock in
evening.
Havana is gayest at night. The clubs are
then full of life, the theatres well attended,
and Havana has one of the largest theatres
i'll the world The parks of Havana blaze
with gaslight. Gayly dressed senoritas in
mantillss walk about with Cuban dudes, and
every one .chatters gayly. There are many
6ps tm.n""t- driv bv the better classes, and